– Staff and Board

Publisher
Mark Gorton

Mark is the founder of Tower Research Capital LLC, a money management firm specializing in quantitative trading and investment strategies, as well as the founder of Lime Brokerage LLC, Lime Medical LLC and Lime Labs LLC. Mark founded OpenPlans (Streetsblog’s parent nonprofit) in 1999 after realizing the incredible potential of the open source movement to create tools that catalyze civic engagement. In his role as Chairman he draws on a strong background in urban transportation advocacy and open media.

Editor-In-Chief
Ben Fried

Ben Fried is the Editor-in-Chief of Streetsblog. He joined Streetsblog as a New York City reporter in 2008, just as the push to enact congestion pricing was peaking. Since then he has covered slightly more successful transit funding campaigns, the transportation angle on local elections, and the day-by-day transformation of New York City streets. Today he oversees Streetsblog’s family of sites covering New York, San Francisco, federal transportation policy, and stories from around the country of significance to the national movement for safer streets and sustainable transportation. Ben graduated from Oberlin College with a concentration in architecture, and he holds a Master’s in Journalism from Columbia University. He lives with his wife in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn, and he loves the Mets. Follow Ben on Twitter @streetsblogNYC.

Damien is the first editor of Streetsblog Los Angeles, the impact journalism site that’s bringing better transportation options to the City of Angels. Before moving west, he was the NJ Coordinator for the Tri-State Transportation Campaign, and he has lent his media relations know-how to a number of advocacy campaigns. Damien holds a Masters of Arts in Public Communications from American University and was a 2011 Annenberg School of Journalism “Online Health Journalism Fellow.” Follow Damien on Twitter @damientypes.

Co-Editor, Streetsblog California
Melanie Curry

Melanie worked for many years as an editor, including managing editor of the East Bay Express and more recently editor of Access, the University of California-published transportation research magazine. She has a Masters degree in City and Regional Planning from UC Berkeley and has worked in transportation consulting and at the San Francisco County Transportation Authority. She joined the Streetsblog team in February 2014, when she was a finalist for excellence in blog reporting for the 2014 California Journalism Awards. Follow her on twitter @currymel

Editor, Streetsblog Los Angeles
Joe Linton

Joe Linton is a longtime urban environmental activist. His main areas of interest have been restoring the Los Angeles River and fostering bicycling for everyday transportation. He’s worked for many Los Angeles livability non-profits, including Friends of the L.A. River, Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition, C.I.C.L.E., Livable Places, and CicLAvia. He also served as deputy to Los Angeles City Councilmember Ed Reyes.

Editor, Streetsblog Network
Angie Schmitt

Angie manages the Streetsblog Network, highlighting the best in progressive transportation blogging from around the country, and she reports for Streetsblog Capitol Hill on regional land use and transportation issues. Angie is co-founder and editor of Rustwire.com, which covers contemporary urban affairs in the industrial Midwest. She is a strong advocate for more livable streets, particularly when it comes to the revitalization of older, so-called ‘rustier’ cities. Angie holds a masters degree in urban planning from Cleveland State University’s Levin College of Urban Affairs. Prior to OpenPlans, she worked as a newspaper reporter covering municipal governments throughout her home state of Ohio and in Southeast Michigan. Follow Angie on Twitter @StreetsblogNet.